Dispenser for material in slender stick form



DISPENSER FOR MATERIAL IN SLENDER $TICK FORM Filed Feb. 17, 1964 G. W.HULTGREN Sept. 27,1966

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 a M 6 m w G United States Patent M 3,275,132DISPENSER FOR MATERIAL 1N SLENDER STICK FORM George W. Hultgren,Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to United Tool & Plastics, Inc., Bridgeport,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No.345,370 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) The present invention relates to adispensing device and more particularly to an elongate device fordispensing slender sticks of cosmetic or the like material.

Heretofore, dispensing devices have been provided for articles of thetype herein involved but they have been diflicult and expensive tomanufacture and assemble.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a dispenser forslender articles which is simple in operation and construction, can bereadily manufactured, and can be quickly and easily assembled, all ofwhich tends to reduce the cost of the device. This is a tremendousadvantage in such a highly competitive .art.

In carrying out the invention, the dispensing device is formed of 'aminimum number of parts, each of which is extremely simple and can bereadily assembled without special tools or fixtures. Further, theconstruction of the parts is suehthat they lend themselves to beingreadily molded from thermoplastic materials if desired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thespecification and claims when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

' FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispensing device ofthe present invention with the cover in position thereon.

FIG. 2 is a view, partly insection, showing the cover removed and thearticle partially dispensed from the end thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 1. v

FIG. 6 is a view, partily in section, showing another form of thedispenser of the present device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cap portion taken along lines 7--7 ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawings, the present invention is directed to a slenderelongate dispensing device .10 for dispensing slim articles or sticks 11of cosmetic or medicinal compositions usually having a greasy or waxytexture. For example-the cosmetic articles can be lipsticks, eyebrowpencils, eye shadow and eyeliner materials, pomades and the like. Themedicinal materials can he sticks for along lines 8-8 of providingrelief for chapped lips and other similar uses.

The sticks 11 are. mounted in .a cup-shapedcarrier 12 having a screw 13rigid1y connected thereto and projecting therefrom. While the carrierand screw can be made of metal, they are preferably molded from athermoplastic material such as acetal resin with the carrier and screwformed integrally. The carrier is slidably mounted in a body 14 which isopen at one end and forms a tubular article-receiving portion 15. Theother end is closed by a transverse wall 16 having a central aperture 17therein through which the screw projects when the carrier is assembledthereon. While the central aperture may be provided with at least oneflat wall, in the preferred form of the invention it is provided withopposed flat walls 18', as shown in FIG. 4. The screw is provided withcorresponding flat surfaces 19 so that," while the screw can PatentedSept. 27, 1966 slide longitudinally in the body, it is held againstrotation with respect to the body, thus maintaining the carrier and thearticle mounted therein against rotation and properly oriented on thebody as will be explained.

.5... A feed nut 20 is threaded on the projecting screw 13 and, innormal position, is located adjacent the transverse wall 16. Althoughthe nut can be made of metal, it is at present preferred to mold it froma thermoplastic material, such as nylon. 4.

In the preferred form of the invention the body is provided with afinger grip portion in the form of a pair of annular ribs 21 spacedalong the body from the end having the transverse wall 16 which providesa means for holding the dispensing device while it is manipulated toproject or retract the article. In the preferred form of the inventionthe outer surface 22 of the body between the ribs 21 and the .end havingthe transverse wall is cylindrical and is adapted to telescopicallyreceive a tubular end portion 23 of an elongate operating member 24 forrotation thereon.

The elongate operator is provided with a central bor 25 to receive thescrew 13 and has in the interior thereof an enlargement of the boreforming an open-ended socket 26 for receiving the feed nut and holdingit adjacent the transverse end wall when the operator is in position onthe body, all as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. While the socket can beprovided with any driving means for engaging and rotating the feed nut,it is at present preferred to provide the feed nut and socket withcooperating flat surfaces whereby the operator can rotate the feed nuttherewith during the manipulation thereof for projecting and retract-ingthe article from the dispensing device. In the illustrated form of theinvention the feed nut and socket are octagonal having flat sides 27,28, as shown in FIG. 5, to eflFect the driving of the same.

In order to hold the operator in position on the body and prevent itfrom moving longitudinally with respect to,

the body when in assembled position, means are provided for releasablyholding the two together. In the illustrated form of the invention thetelescoped engaging surfaces of the body and operator are provided withan annular groove 29 and cooperating rib 30 which will snap togetherincident to the assembly thereof and effectively prevent separation ofthe operator from the body while permitting relative rotationtherebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is preferred to slant the open end of thetubular portion 15 of the body at a predetermined angle as at 31 and theend 32 of the article at a corresponding slant so that in normalposition they lie in a plane inclined to the longitudinal axis of thebody. Since the article is held against rotation in the body by thescrew cooperating with the flat walls of the aperture, it will maintainits relative position in all projected positions as shown in FIG. 2.

If desired, a usual tubular protective cover 33, as shown in FIG. 1, canbe telescoped over the tubular end portion 15 of the body to provide aclosure for protecting the article.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the device of the presentinvention comprises a minimum number of operative elements which aresimple in design and can be readily manufactured and assembled toproduce an effective dispensing device. The simplicity and character ofthe cooperating elements is such that they can be readily handled andmolded from thermoplastic materials, such as polystyrene, polypropylene,nylon and acetal resins, in plural cavity multi-part molds so that theycan be produced at a minimum of expense and can be assembled with greatfacility.

In assembling the elements, the carrier and screw are inserted into thetubular body with the screw passing through the aperture 17 in the wall16. The feed nut is threaded on the screw to a point adjacent thetransverse wall. This elfectively holds these elements in assembledrelation to facilitate the handling thereof and permits the remainingassembly operation to be greatly expedited. The operator 24 is thenslipped over the end of the body and the screw will pass into the bore25 and the nut 20 will readily move into the open-ended socket 26 as thetelescoped portions'of the body and operator are assembled and snappedinto interlocked relation.

While the carrier cup can be used as a part of the mold for the articleas it is formed, it is at present preferred to mold the articlesseparately and to mount them into the carrier cup, after the operatorand body have been assembled and the carrier moved to its outermostposition on the body. The mounting is greatly facilitated by the factthat the carrier is held against relative rotation with respect to thebody by the fiat faces on the screw cooperating with the flat sides ofthe apertures 17 so that the article can be properly positioned andoriented, particularly where slanted end body and articles are used, andmaintained in said relation at all times. Thereafter, the article isretracted into the body and the cap 33 is inserted over the tubular bodyto enclose the article.

A further advantage of molding the operator and cover from plasticmaterial resides in the fact that the exterior design or ornamentationof the dispenser can be provided during the molding thereof so that anindividual style and distinctive appearance of each of the dispensingdevices can be readily attained. If desired, additional ornamentation,such as metal bands or the like, can be applied to the surface of saidmolded parts.

Inthe form of the invention shown in FIGS. 6-8,

means is provided for preventing inadvertent operation of the device asmay damage the article. In this form of the invention many of the parts,such as the carrier 12, screw 13 and nut 20 are the same as in FIG. 1and are designated by the same numeral. The body 14 is substantially thesame as in FIG. 1 except that the projecting annular ribs 21 forming thefinger grip portions have been removed and the outer surface iscylindrical from end to end. If desired, the cylindrical body can beknurled or roughed at 21a to form a finger grip therefor. The operator24 is of the same construction as in FIG. 1 with the exception that atits open outer end it is reduced to form a neck 35 projecting at the endof the body. The cover is the same except that it has its lower open endextended so as to have a portion 36 adapted to telescope over the neck35 at the end of the operator.

As shown in FIG. 8, the telescoped portions of the neck and cover bodyare provided with interlocking means for preventing relative rotationbetween the cover and oper- In the herein illustrated form of theinvention this ator. means comprises interior cavities 37 in the wall ofthe cover which open at the end of the cover to receive projections 38on the neck. The projections are of such a size that they freely fitinto the cavities within the cover to interlock therewith withoutapplying any outward pressure to the cover as might produce cracking ofthe cover when made 'of plastic material.

Since there is no pressure at the overlapped portions which mightfrictionally hold the cover in place, it is 7 herein preferred to forminternal friction pads 39,'as

relative rotation of the operator on the, body as might,

feed the article against the cover and damage it will be prevented.

Variations and modificationsmay be made Within the scope of the claimsand portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

'1. A dispensing device for an elongate stick-like article comprising ahollow body of plastic material forming an article-receiving tube openat one end and having a transverse wall at the other. end having acentral aperture therein provided with at least one .fiat side wall,said body adjacent said other end being cylindrical, an operator ofplastic material having a tubular end and a bore of reduced diameterextending inwardly therefrom, said tubular end telescopically receivingsaid cylindrical portion of the body to be mounted thereon for relativerotation, cooperating projection and recess means on said te-lescopedportions of the bodyand operator to releasably hold the body andoperator against longitudinal separation, said resilient plasticmaterial of the cooperating body and operator permitting the projectionto snap. into said recess incident to the telescoping thereof, said bodyhaving a finger grip configuration on the outer surface thereof adjacentthe'end of the operator mounted thereon, an article carrier having anarticle mounted thereon slidably mounted in the tube and having a screwrigidly connected thereto, said screw projecting throughthe centralaperr ture in the body and into the bore in said operator and having atleast one flat side to cooperate with the flat.

side wall of the aperture in the transverse wall to prevent rotation ofthe screw and carrier. in the body, and a separate feed nut threaded onthe projecting portioncf the screw and normally located adjacent thetransverse wall, said bore in said operator adjacent said tubularportion being enlarged and forming an open-endedsocket receiving saidnut "having an end portion for engaging the nut when the operator isassembled on the body, said Wall and end of the socket'holding the nutin said normal position in said socket, said socket and nut havingcooperating engaging side walls provided with means for preventingrelative rotation between the operator and nut whereby rotation of saidoperator on said body, while the body is held by .the finger gripconfiguration, causes the nut to cooperate with the screw andadvanoe'or' retract the article carrier and cause the article mountedtherein to be projected from or retracted within said body for use orstorage.

2. A dispensing device for an elongate stick-like article comprising ahollow body forming an article-receiving tube open at one end and havinga transverse wall at the other end having a central aperture thereinprovided with at leastone flat side wall, said body having finger gripmeans spaced from said transverse Wall with the outer surface of thebody between said finger grip means and said wall being cylindrical, anoperator having a tubular end and a bore of reduced diameter extendinginwardly therefrom, said tubular end telescop ioa-lly receiving saidcylindrical portion of the body to be mounted thereon for relativerotation, cooperating means on said telescoped portions of the body andoperator to releasably hold the 'body and operator against longitudinalseparation, an article carrier having an article mounted thereonslidably mounted in the .tube and having a screw rigidly connectedthereto, said screw projecting through the central aperture in the bodyand into the bore in said operator and having atleast one flat side tocooperate withthe flat sidewall of the aperture in the transverse wallto prevent rotation of the screw and carrier in the body, and a separatefeed nut threaded on the I projecting portion of the screw and normallylocated adjacent the transverse wall, said bore in said operatoradjacent said tubular portion being enlarged and formingan open-endedsocket receiving said nut and having an end .7 portion for engaging thenut when the operator is assembled on the body, said wall and end of thesocket holding the nut in said normal position in said socket, saidsocket and nut having cooperating engaging side walls provided withmeans for preventing relative rotation between the operator and nutwhereby rotation of said operator on said body causes the nut tocooperate with thescrew and advance or retract the article carrier andcause the article mounted therein to be projected from or retractedwithin said body for use or storage, the end of the operator telescopedwith said body having a smooth outer surface forming .a neck thereon,and a tubular cover of molded plastic material having a closed end andan open end inserted over said article-receiving tube with the open endin telescopic relation with said neck, said cover having friction meanson the interior thereof adjacent the a closed end to engage said tubeand hold the cover thereon against inadvertent longitudinal movementthereon and the engaging surfaces only of said telescoping neck andcover having cooperating internal cavities and projections forpreventing relative rotation of said cover and operator With saidcavities and projections nesting freely and without any outward pressureon the cover adjacent said open end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Hoffman 2065 6Wehn.

Moxley 13288.7 Worthington.

Vaunghn 132-8 8] Peterson et a1 2.0656 Suinat 206-56 Crane 206-56McKinley 20656 Aston 206-56 X 15 RICHARD A. GAUDBT, Primary Examiner.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner. I

1. A DISPENSING DEVICE FOR AN ELONGATE STICK-LIKE ARTICLE COMPRISING AHOLLOW BODY OF PLASTIC MATERIAL FORMING AN ARTICLE-RECEIVING TUBE OPENAT ONE END AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE WALL AT THE OTHER END HAVING ACENTRAL APERTURE THEREIN PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE FLAT SIDE WALL, SAIDBODY ADJACENT SAID OTHER END BEING CYLINDRICAL, AND OPERATOR OF PLASTICMATERIAL HAVING A TUBULAR END AND A BORE OR REDUCED DIAMETER EXTENDINGINWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID TUBULAR END TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVING SAIDCYLINDRICAL PORTION OF THE BODY TO BE MOUNTED THEREON FOR RELATIVEROTATION, COOPERATING PROJECTION AND RECESS MEANS ON SAID TELESCOPEDPORTIONS OF THE BODY AND OPERATOR TO RELEASABLY HOLD THE BODY ANDOPERATOR AGAINST LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION, SAID RESILIENT PLASTICMATERIAL OF THE COOPERATING BODY AND OPERATOR PERMITTING THE PROJECTIONOF SNAP INTO SAID RECESS INCIDENT TO THE TELESCOPING THEREOF, SAID BODYHAVING A FINGER GRIP CONFIGURATION ON THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF ADJACENTTHE END OF THE OPERATOR MOUNTED THEREON, AN ARTICLE CARRIER HAVING ANARTICLE MOUNTED THEREON SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE TUBE AND HAVING A SCREWRIGIDLY CONNECTED THERETO, SAID SCREW PROJECTING THROUGH THE CENTRALAPERTURE IN THE BODY AND INTO THE BORE IN SAID OPERATOR AND